Beer Post #10

Merhaba! Apologies for being negligent regarding my December posts. No, Jeff, I haven't quit drinking; rather, I've been spending time on the road and am grateful to have the time now to report my findings.

Our trip to Istanbul offered me some opportunities to sample some new, if not diverse, gifts from Allah.

In Turkey, it's all Efes. This national brewery produces 71% of the beer sold in the country. While they are contract brewers for Becks, Miller, Warstiener and Fosters, these sales only account for about 10% of the beer consumed nationally. The remaining 90% of the market share that Efes enjoys are beers produced under their own label. These include a Pilsner style lager, a dark lager, a strong ale (7% abv), and a German wiezbier called, Gusta.

The Efes Pilsner tends to the sweet side for me. It has more body than you might expect, especially for the warmer climate that is its primary market. The head is light and thin. Regarding packaging, the bottle is best in terms of quality. The quality of the cans is inconsistent whereas the draft varies from horrible to shitty (this is most likely a result of dirty lines at the pubs I visited). Concerning the Pilsen, Fonefan at Rate beer said, "Bottle. Clear light yellow color with a small to average, fizzy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, white to off-white head. Aroma is light malty, toasted, bread, moderate cardboard. Flavor is light to moderate sweet with a short to average duration. Body is light to medium, texture is watery, carbonation is soft."

Gusta, on the other hand, is a top fermented brew in the German hefeweizen style. At Ratebeer, one writer, RickGordon, described Gusta as, "Hazy pale yellow colour with moderate head. Dryish aroma with slight fresh sourishness and only light phenolic. Light bodied with bit acidity. Low wheat profile and very flawless. Lacking in esters and body, apart from that this is very German." I concur.

Try it at 7am at the airport, like I did, with next to no sleep. Chase it with borëk or su böreği ("a warm many layered noodle like pastry sandwich of white cheese and parsley" according to Lonely Planet Turkey).

Cost: YLT 2.85 ($2.44) for 12 oz.

Hoşçakal, Turkey! We'll miss you! (BTW, alerjim var ishali).

Beer Post #9

Number 9, number 9, number 9... Tonight's Friday, so I thought I'd have a couple of beers. The fraternal twins I'm doing tonight are: Chernigivske Bile & Chernigivske Bila Nich. In other words, White and White Night. They are brewed by Sun Interbrew Ukraine.

These beers have been a staple for me in Kharkiv. I particularly enjoy the White. It's an unfiltered witbier with medium body, a pleasant fruitiness of orange, peach, and a hint of coriander that you would expect from this beer style. However, the head is loose and unsustained. It doesn't hold its carbonation well at all, suggesting it is under carbonated. It's definitely tasty, but if you want the real deal, drink a Hoegaarden White Ale.

As for the White Night, it's a little thin for a dark unfiltered Dunkelweizen (Thanks for clarifying this Ernie in Moscow). It is an easy, unaggressive, uneventful-yet not unpleasant- lager. Surprisingly, it hints more of fruit than roasted malt. But it's lasting impression can be described best by Neil Young's quote: "it starts off kind of slow and then fizzles out altogether."

You should enjoy these twins with leftovers, because they're easy, too. Tee-hee-hee.

The cost is way affordable for the pleasures that they offer at H5.05 ($1.00) for 1 liter. I've never enjoyed a buck so much!

Beer Post #8

This evening, I thought I would critique a classic brew from the Czech Republic, which of course is famous as the home of the pilsner style of beer from the city, Plzeň.

I decided on Krušovice Imperial produced by Královský Pivovar Krušovice (the Royal Brewery of Krušovice). This lager is characterized by the brewery as a "premium", which I guess means that they're very proud of it.

At first glance, the hue is a light honey color, which is inviting.
In terms of taste, I notice that it's quite light and drinkable with a creamy texture. This is followed, however by a hop bitterness that is very sharp (most likely Saaz hops).

This beer is quite popular and common here in Kharkiv. For a 1/2 liter, it costs H7.30 ($1.45).

I had mine with a hot ham & cheese sandwich with a green olive garnish.

Beer Post #7

This popular Russian lager, Classic #3, has a mild initial palate that finishes with a hoppy bitterness that dominates. It is heavier than most American domestics, like Budweiser, but that is what it reminded me of. I would characterize this as a session beer for someone inclined to make an evening of it, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

This company, Baltika, has been around since Soviet times. It is a large manufacturer with plants scattered around Russia. They offer ten different beer styles
numbered 0-9. I'll update you later as I have a number 9 extra (ESB) in my frig.

I had my Classic #3 last night with homemade chicken noodle soup. Mmm...soup.

Cost: H3.15 ($0.62) for the 1/2 liter.

Beer Post #6

Tonight's offering is a delicious Belgian Blonde from the famous Abbaye de Leffe (now brewed by InBev) . This ale has been in production since 1240A.D.

This blonde is in the Belgian tripel style so you can expect it to be clean and lively but with substance. After the initial effervescent sensation, you taste caramel flavors that finish with a malty sweetness.

Enjoy this with crème brulée or any desert that won't overpower its subtle goodness. Where available in Kharkiv, UA expect to spend H7.30 ($1.45) for 330ml. A damn fine bargain by western standards!

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